Warning of large hail and storms – as three weather alerts issued

Large parts of England and Wales are battling gusty winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning – as thunderstorm warnings come into effect.

Three Met Office warnings have been issued this weekend.

Friday’s alert for thunderstorms covered most of southwest England, parts of Wales, the Midlands and west London.

A second thunderstorm warning for Saturday is in place for 23 hours, from 1am until midnight, and applies to an even larger area – covering the whole of Wales, and stretching as far as Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and all of Cornwall.

In the early hours of Saturday, the Met Office said they had expanded the warning even further to the north and east, reaching over to Tunbridge Well, Lincoln and Peterborough, and covering much of London.

The Met Office says thunderstorms and heavy showers are expected to cause disruption.

“Hail and frequent lightning may accompany the most intense storms, especially during Saturday afternoon and evening in parts of the Midlands, southern England and east Wales,” the Met Office said.

Officials say there is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded rapidly, with fast flowing or deep floodwater causing “danger to life”.

They also warned there was a small chance some communities become cut off by flooded roads, with possible power cuts and cancellations to train and bus services.

On Sunday, a yellow warning for rain has now come into place for the East Midlands, east of England, London and the South East, northwest England, southwest England, Wales, and the West Midlands.

The Met Office has warned of “significant” delays or cancellations to train and bus services, flooding, and difficult driving conditions.

The stormy weather follows a warm, dry spell as temperatures reached 25C in Inverness on Wednesday while southeast England saw the same high on Thursday, according to the forecaster.

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